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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27204257">Gentle Care</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseyWinter/pseuds/RoseyWinter'>RoseyWinter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Side of Sanders Shots [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Insomnia, Massage, Mild Swearing, Platonic Cuddling, Slight Dissociation, emotional stress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:06:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,898</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27204257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseyWinter/pseuds/RoseyWinter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Virgil has been on edge for days now. Janus notices and resolves to fix it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders &amp; Deceit | Janus Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Side of Sanders Shots [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984643</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Gentle Care</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil jerked awake for the final time that night, swearing loudly and waving towards his phone violently to get the music to stop. He sat up, scrubbing at his already red eyes in frustration.</p><p>Ever since the wedding he had been feeling tense, wrapped up in replaying conversations over and over in his mind and how they could have gone differently, better. Mulling over the fact that Patton had had a mental fucking breakdown and that Janus was coming around a lot more often, mostly for breakfast and dinner, in turn leading Remus to pop up around this side of the mind scape more often than he had previous and setting him even more on edge. Since Thomas was still trying to process everything he kept everything as tightly bottled up as he could, letting almost none of it spill over to him and getting no release of his own. His shoulders and neck ached and no amount of rolling would release the tension. His stomach flipped with pent up nervous nausea mixing unpleasantly with the hunger pangs from not eating as much to try and combat said nausea. Groaning with more frustration he swung his legs painfully over the side of the bed and shakily reached for his usual hoodie, his whole body aching with the effort it took.</p><p>He quickly covered up his eye bags with his usual shadow and left the room for breakfast since he knew if he didn't Patton would be worried and he was already worried enough. He made it to the table just as Patton finished frying the eggs, thinning his lips into a tight line as the smells worked to confuse his stomach further. Barely holding back a groan he curled up slightly in his chair, cringing as it squeaked in protest in the silent kitchen. Things had been mostly resolved between Patton and Janus but it seemed Logan and Roman were still working through the upset, something they'd have to address soon but for now just made meals a silent and awkward affair. The fatherly side had long since stopped trying to break the tension at meals, resolving to simple questions mostly asking what everyones plans were and if they were all feeling alright which mostly led to half hearted answers at best if he recieved any at all.</p><p>Thinking about all of this Virgil snuck a glance around the table, stomach tightening more as no one looked up from their plates. He struggled to keep his nerves in check, grimacing with the effort it took to keep the waves from rolling off of him and effecting anyone else. Hours seemed to pass as the minutes went by, Roman standing first and curtly thanking Patton before going off to wherever he hid these days. Logan was next, his thanks only slightly more polite as he made some excuse about wanting to get short term something or other into long term storage of buzzing silence and noise that was slowly overwhelming him and ringing of something as a door closed somewhere and-</p><p>A hand on his shoulder had him jumping from his seat and hissing, forgotten breakfast sitting stone cold at an otherwise empty table. Idly wondering how long he had been out of it his searching eyes locked onto the side responsible for his upset in the first place, expression darkening into a glare as he yanked his sleeves down past his hands.</p><p>"What?" He growled.</p><p>Yellow gloved hands stayed at submissive shoulder height, his expression pinched with concern. "You've been sitting here for an hour and you weren't responding to your name. I thought it best to bring you back from wherever you had gone."</p><p>Virgil snatched his plate up and with slight guilt dumped the ruined breakfast in the garbage. "I didn't ask you to."</p><p>"No." Janus acknowledged simply, lowering his arms back down and leaning against the table. "You haven't been eating."</p><p>"The fuck do you care?"</p><p>"It's my job. You also haven't been sleeping. You're eyeshadow doesn't hide it as well as you might hope."</p><p>Swearing quietly as he squirted too much soap on the rag he set about viciously scrubbing at his breakfast plate. "It's your job to care about Thomas."</p><p>"And as a part of Thomas I also care for you." Janus replied smoothly. "I know things have been more difficult lately and I can only imagine-"</p><p>"You don't know shit. You stopped knowing when I left." He felt almost bad for shooting the other down so harshly but he was so tired and now cranky that he hadn't gotten to eat breakfast and didn't know if his stomach was thanking or punishing him.</p><p>"Be that as it may I'm around more now which means I notice things more. We may still be on...uncertain terms but that does not mean I care any less."</p><p>The sudden pressure of tears shocked him momentarily, exhaustion making the welling emotions hard to crest as he barely registered the tone Janus was using. No judgement. No anger. No patronizing. He turned to look at the other, startling at openly honest expression etched across his face. The hand holding the rag slipped on the plate and slammed into the sink, withdrawing quickly as he hissed and dropped the plate. The sharp knife left in the sink from god knows what was splattered red as his fingers beat a painful rhythm. Janus was there suddenly, making him recoil even as soft words of reassurance were spoken. Drooping eyes met ones filled with concern and suddenly it was too much, nerves fraying painfully in his chest as he struggled to take in a breath around the sob that escaped him.</p><p>"Virgil." He looked back up as tears ran freely down his face, eyes flicking down again to watch the now bare hands being held open in front of him, unmoving and welcoming. "Let me take care of you."</p><p>Squeezing his eyes shut he simply nodded and felt a gentle hand on his arm accompanied by the familiar sensation of sinking down and rising up again. He felt himself being led forward and pushed down, landing a little roughly on a hard, cool surface. A towel was wrapped around his hand as he leaned against a wall, silent sobs continuing to rock through him as he adamantly refused to make a sound. Shuffling was heard and the room filled with the scent of peroxide, the dry towel replaced with a shockingly cool rag that stung the cut along his fingers. He didn't have the energy to react more than twitching his fingers absently, barely registering a near silent tune drifting around him. The rag was taken away and replaced with a kind of cream quickly covered by carefully placed bandaids before he realized what the sound was.</p><p>Humming.</p><p>Janus was humming a nameless tune quietly, filling the buzzing silence that Virgil was grateful wasn't being filled with questions, his hand already feeling better. Another sob escaped him as he realized how much he missed this, how much he had missed Janus knowing when he needed to be taken aside and away, knowing when to push and when to silently support. He cracked an eye open as Janus put everything away quickly and turned back to him, eyes softening as they landed on the younger side. The deceitful side offered a hand to him that he took after a beat of hesitation, dragging himself upright and allowing himself to be led out of the bathroom.</p><p>Janus deposited him on the edge of the bed as he reached for the abandoned phone on the nightstand and typed in a password that was never changed. Virgil watched with little more than passive curiousity, eyes lighting up slightly as his playlist he had recently put together started to push back against the oppressive room and thin out the air that had become a struggle to breathe in.</p><p>Janus turned to him and motioned behind him. "May I sit?"</p><p>Offering a raised eyebrow but deciding it was entirely too much work to concern himself at this point Virgil merely shrugged. "Why the fuck not." He mumbled out.</p><p>He just barely caught the eyeroll aimed towards him before the bed dipped and Janus was behind him, crossed legs fitting close to the small of his back and hands resting tentatively on his shoulders. Virgil relaxed slightly as he realized the others intentions, Janus taking it as permission to continue.</p><p>A sob of relief left his mouth this time as careful fingers dug at the base of his neck, rolling into the muscles even as they protested. The fingers paused as Virgil shifted, shrugging off his hoodie and throwing it in a random direction. A soft laugh joined the music as the hands returned to their previous administrations. His thumbs dug in gently on either side of his spine and fingers gripped just above his collarbone. The muscle finally gave as Virgil sagged in relief, tension officially taking a well deserved vacation as his shoulders dropped for the first time in days. Janus' hands moved gradually outward, rolling fingers massaging his shoulders further down as he sighed into the feeling. He startled slightly as his chin met his chest, blinking his eyes open wondering when he had shut them. He smiled and reached up to wipe at his cheeks, Vindicated filling the room and his chest with a quiet calm dispite the tune.</p><p>"I always liked this song." Janus' voice rumbled against his back and he jumped again, brain turned to near mush struggling to realize the fact that he had let himself lean back against the other as he continued to work the last of the tension from his neck and shoulders. He hummed in agreement as he relaxed back, figuring if Janus hadn't said anything it was probably okay to stay where he was, at least for now. Virgil's eyes slipped shut as he sighed again, face dry and hands lax just letting the sensations wash over him and help ease him even further. Subconsciously he began breathing deeply, matching the rise and fall of the chest pressed against him as the music grew quieter and the hands gentler, any stubborn resistance fully leaving as consciousness left him completely.</p><p>Janus continued massaging the younger sides shoulders for a couple minutes longer until he gradually stopped but continued his deep breathing for Virgil's benefit. He felt like putty against him, making him suspicious of just how long Virgil had gone without properly relaxing. He sighed and gently brought his hand up to the anxious sides hair, running his fingers through the tangles gently and smoothing out any unruly strands. Virgil sighed in his sleep and leaned even further into him making him smile sadly. He had missed this. Not Virgil being so wound up that he neglected his health but being able to help the other unwind in a way he rarely let himself do. Wrapping gentle arms around him Janus let his cheek rest an top of the soft fluff of hair, letting the emo's music wash over him with a familiarity he hadn't realized he missed as much as he did. He let his eyes close as he huffed quietly.</p><p>He knew this wouldn't fix everything, that hadn't even been the goal. But he held a faint hope that this may be a start.</p>
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